Fabrication tools for exerting normal forces on feedstock

Abstract

The present invention relates to tooling and methods for disposing, coating, building up, repairing, or otherwise modifying the surface of a metal substrate using frictional heating and compressive loading of a consumable metal material against the substrate. Embodiments of the invention include friction-based fabrication tooling comprising a non-consumable member with a throat and a consumable member disposed in the throat, wherein the throat is operably configured such that during rotation of the non-consumable member at a selected speed, the throat exerts normal forces on and rotates the consumable member at the selected speed; and comprising means for dispensing the consumable member through the throat and onto a substrate using frictional heating and compressive loading. Embodiments of the invention also include fabrication methods using the tools described herein.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A friction-based fabrication tool comprising:
 a deposit material; 
 a tool body comprising a hollow interior for housing the deposit material disposed therein prior to deposition on a substrate; 
 wherein the interior of the tool body is shaped to exert a normal force on the deposit material disposed therein for rotating the deposit material during rotation of the tool body at a speed sufficient for imposing frictional heating of the deposit material against the substrate, such that the deposit material and the throat have correspondingly shaped and sized cross sections along the entire length of the portion of the deposit material that is disposed in the throat; 
 wherein the tool body is capable of dispensing the deposit material through the tool body onto the substrate and is capable of rotating and translating relative to the substrate; and 
 wherein the tool body comprises a shoulder surface with a flat surface geometry or a surface geometry with structure for enhancing mechanical stirring of the deposit material, which shoulder surface is operably configured for trapping the deposit material in a volume between the shoulder and the substrate and for forming and shearing a surface of a deposit material on the substrate; 
 wherein the deposit material is adapted for continuous deposition of the deposit material on the substrate during translation of the tool body relative to the substrate. 
 
     
     
       2. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the interior of the tool body is shaped with a non-circular cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
       3. The tool of  claim 2 , wherein the non-circular cross-sectional shape is a square, rectangle, ellipse, oval, triangle, non-circular polygon, star, daisy, key, or diamond. 
     
     
       4. The tool of  claim 2 , wherein the interior of the tool body is shaped to exert normal forces on a solid, powder, or powder-filled tube type deposit material disposed therein. 
     
     
       5. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the interior of the tool body is shaped to exert normal forces on a surface of the deposit material disposed therein. 
     
     
       6. The tool of  claim 5 , wherein the interior of the tool body is shaped to exert normal forces on a plurality of surfaces of the deposit material disposed therein. 
     
     
       7. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the frictional heating, compressive loading, and mechanical stirring are of a degree sufficient to enable mixing of deposit material with material of the substrate. 
     
     
       8. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the deposit material is adapted to be spreadable under the shoulder surface of the tool body. 
     
     
       9. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the deposit material is adapted to form a metallurgical bond with the substrate. 
     
     
       10. The tool of  claim 1 , wherein the tool body has a shoulder capable of maintaining a desired thickness of the deposit material loaded on the substrate. 
     
     
       11. A friction-based fabrication tool comprising:
 a deposit material; 
 a non-consumable member having a body and a throat; 
 wherein the throat is shaped to contact the deposit material disposed therein and is shaped to push the deposit material in an angular direction for imparting rotation to the deposit material from the body when rotated at a speed sufficient for imposing frictional heating of the deposit material against a substrate; 
 wherein the body is capable of dispensing the deposit material through the throat onto the substrate and is capable of rotating and translating relative to the substrate; 
 wherein the body comprises a surface for trapping deposit material loaded on the substrate in a volume between the body and the substrate and for forming and shearing a surface of the deposit material on the substrate; and 
 wherein the deposit material and the throat have correspondingly shaped and sized cross sections along the entire length of the portion of the deposit material that is disposed in the throat. 
 
     
     
       12. The tool of  claim 11 , wherein the deposit material and the throat each have a square cross section. 
     
     
       13. The tool of  claim 11 , wherein the deposit material is adapted to form a metallurgical bond with the substrate throughout an interfacial region between the substrate and the deposit material loaded on the substrate. 
     
     
       14. The tool of  claim 11 , wherein the body has a shoulder capable of maintaining a desired thickness of the deposit material loaded on the substrate.